Notice Me
by peytona05
Summary: With the Professor sick in bed, Mary Ann takes the opportunity to evaluate her feelings for him. May be read in conjunction with "Silent Attention," but it's not necessary.


**What's it gonna take for you to see, to get you to notice me? ~ "Notice Me" (Disney's **_**Pixel Perfect**_**)**

xXxXx

Mary Ann sat at the table and waited for the Skipper to leave the Professor's hut. He'd fallen ill earlier in the week and she was worried. Actually, "worried" wasn't the word. Or maybe it was; her thoughts and emotions were all over the place, and right now she wasn't sure how she felt.

Lately she'd found herself thinking of the Professor more than usual, wishing she could figure out a way to get him to notice her. But they were so different; science had never been her best subject, and his mind just didn't work like a typical male's.

And he stayed so busy during the day, conducting various experiments and reading his textbooks. There would be several times throughout the day that Mary Ann was tempted to stop by his hut and ask if she could help, simply to be near him. But she would never follow through because she didn't want to disturb him.

But when the Professor had taken sick a few days ago, her imagination had begun to run a little wild. She'd always been an old-fashioned girl, believing that it was the man's job to do the pursuing, so she'd never let on how she felt. But how on earth would she take it if something happened to the Professor without him knowing how she felt?

Just then the Skipper joined Mary Ann at the table.

"How is he?" she asked. "Any better?"

"Oh, I don't know. His fever's still pretty high, and he's out like a light. And I can't make heads or tails of those medical books to figure out what's wrong with him."

Mary Ann sighed in an effort to gain control of her nerves. "I guess the only thing we can really do then is to keep cool, wet rags on him. It's my turn next; is it okay for me to go in, Skipper?"

"Sure, Mary Ann, go ahead."

The truth was, it technically wasn't supposed to be her turn yet. But she'd talked Mrs. Howell into giving up her turn so that Mary Ann could have a little extra time with the Professor.

Mary Ann made her way into the hut, and after soaking a rag in a bowl of water on the bedside table, she placed it on the Professor's forehead. She brushed a few locks of his hair away from the rag before making herself comfortable in a nearby chair. She reached into her apron pocket and withdrew a small pad of paper and a pencil.

For several moments, Mary Ann absent-mindedly doodled a few hearts and scrawled the Professor's and her initials inside a couple before turning to a clean sheet of paper and began to write.

_Professor, it's really hard for me to see you lying there so helpless when I care so much for you. I wish there was something I could do to make you better, but nobody even knows what's wrong - just that you've got a terrible fever. And that scares me, because I honestly can't imagine my life without you in it. I've wanted you to notice me, but I could never figure out how because I've never been good at that kind of thing. And now I feel like I'm just babbling and not really making very much sense, but it's just as well since you'll never see this anyway. Just please get better, Professor…for all of us. Love, Mary Ann_

She closed the notepad and returned it and the pencil to her apron pocket. As she reached for the rag to rewet it, Mary Ann saw the Professor's blue eyes flutter open. He tried to speak as she wrung out the rag, but she only hushed him, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

_He's awake; maybe, just maybe, he will be okay._

xXxXx

Several days passed, and the Professor's health slowly returned to normal. One morning after breakfast, he made his way to the girls' hut and lightly rapped his knuckles on the door frame.

"Mary Ann, are you in there?"

"Yeah, Professor. Come on in."

He pulled aside the sheet-for-a-door and entered the small room. It wasn't often he came to this hut alone, mostly because women in general made him nervous. But the brunette that stood before him had the ability to make his heart flutter and captivate his attention, both at the same time.

"Mary Ann, I was wondering if I could ask you a quick question. At one point while I was ill, I thought I saw you writing in a notepad."

xXxXx

Mary Ann's heart skipped a beat. "Oh…well, it's possible, Professor. I usually keep one handy in case I need to…you know, make a to-do list…or something."

_Or something? Oh Mary Ann, could you be anymore lame?_

"Well, I guess I was wondering if by chance you'd made any notes regarding some of the symptoms I exhibited while I was sick. Those few days are a little hazy for me."

_There's no way on God's green earth I'm giving you that notepad._ "I did a little, but there really wasn't much to write about; your only real symptom was a high fever."

"Mary Ann, please. I'd like to see what you've got, if you'll let me. It might help in my research of tropical diseases."

She could feel her defenses lowering as he pleaded with her. Her mind kept going back to those initialed hearts and that note, but all the arguments she gave herself were silenced as she gazed into the Professor's eyes.

"Oh, all right. Here you go, Professor."

xXxXx

He accepted the notepad she offered and began flipping through it. He saw the to-do lists she'd mentioned, then he came across what could only be classified as "or something."

_Professor, it's really hard for me to see you…_

xXxXx

Mary Ann nervously bit her lip as she watched the Professor's movements grow still. She knew he'd come across her note and her eyes filled with tears as she wondered about his reaction.

_Oh, how will I ever be able to face him again? I'll have to move to the other side of the island just so he won't have to see me anymore._

xXxXx

_…for all of us. Love, Mary Ann_

The Professor looked up to see tears threatening to spill over onto Mary Ann's cheeks. Was it really possible that she saw him in the same light in which he saw her? Was there even a slight chance?

He cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. "Mary Ann, I had no idea. I - "

Her tears chose that moment to begin falling. "Oh Professor, please don't say anything," she interrupted. "I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me again, just please don't say anything."

Mary Ann tried to run past him, but he caught her by the hand and tugged her back. He pulled her into a hug, and for a few moments, he did as she asked. He silently allowed her to cry into his chest.

When Mary Ann's sobs quit wracking her body, the Professor reached into his back pocket for a handkerchief and handed it to her.

"How could I ever not want to see you again?" he asked. "If you hadn't cut me off, I would have told you that…well, that I care for you too. I just…never said anything because I didn't think you'd be interested."

xXxXx

Mary Ann wasn't sure she'd heard right, and her tears started all over again.

_Did he really say that he cares for me too? Did I really just hear him say that?_

It was as if the Professor read her mind. He leaned in close enough to whisper, "I love you, Mary Ann," before placing a tender kiss on her cheek.


End file.
